Mambrino - Famous Race Horse
George Stubbs Lithograph

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Mambrino 1768

George Stubbs (1724-1806) (after)
L. Mandret (lithographer)
Mambrino: Un Vainqueur né en 1768
[Mambrino: A Winner Born in 1768]
Auguste Bry, rue de Sevres, 139 Paris: c. 1882
Black-and-white lithograph
21 x 24.5 inches, overall
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.

Lithograph portrait of the famous race horse Mambrino in subtle shades of gray, based on the original painting by renowned British artist George Stubbs made for his patron Lord Grosvenor in 1779. It was first published as a mezzotint by John & Josiah Boydell in 1788, and this lithograph was produced in Paris in 1882. Bottom margin has extensive breeding and racing data about Mambrino in French and English. Mambrino was raced by Lord Grosvenor and was one of the most important stallions in the Grosvenor stud.

George Stubbs (1724-1806) was one of the greatest sporting artists of Georgian England.  He combined science and art by painting animals with anatomical precision.  After a visit to Rome and a period of residence in Liverpool, he returned to England in 1760.  He also drew horses based on dissections, and in 1766 published a monumental series of engravings, Anatomy of the Horse, which cemented his reputation as a master of the subject.  His vast body of work includes paintings of the prize horses of England of the late 18th century, often with their proud owners or trainers.  He also painted hunting scenes, and wild animals such as lions and tigers, including some with lions stalking horses.  Stubbs served as president of the Society of Artists in 1773 and though he had his quarrels with the Royal Academy, he exhibited there periodically and was elected as an Associate in 1780.  Many of his paintings are in the world’s major museums, with a large number represented in the Yale Center for British Art (Paul Mellon Collection).  Some of the greatest engravers and printers of the day were engaged to render Stubbs' animal pictures as prints, including William Woollett (1735-1785), and Stubbs’ son, the printmaker George Townly Stubbs (1756-1815)  (sometimes spelled “Townley”).

Auguste Bry was a French print publisher in the mid 19th century.

References:

Maxted, Ian. "The London book trades 1775-1800: a preliminary checklist of members." Exeter Working Papers in British Book Trade History.  U.K.: Devon Library and Information Services. 24 January 2005.  http://www.devon.gov.uk/library/locstudy/bookhist/lonn.html (Orme) (6 April 2005).

Williamson, George C., ed. Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers.  London: G. Bell and Sons: 1930.  Vol. 5, pp. 139-140 (Stubbs).